Coronavirus circulation and cross-species transmission in European bats: a new paradigm in betacoronaviruses
Abstract
Bats are major reservoir hosts of coronaviruses (CoVs), yet the ecological mechanisms governing CoV circulation and cross-species transmission remain poorly understood, particularly in Europe. Here, we investigated the diversity, host associations, and interspecific transmission dynamics of alpha- and betacoronaviruses in European bats using an integrated phylogenetic and network-based approach. We analysed 835 guano samples collected from 31 bat roosts in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands (Spain) between 2020 and 2024, encompassing 14 bat species from three families. CoV RNA was detected in 18.9% of samples, with five alphacoronavirus and two betacoronavirus subgenera identified. Virus-host networks were highly structured and non-random, with strong modularity and specialization, and a small subset of bat species occupying central connector roles. Notably, we report the first confirmed detection of sarbecoviruses in Miniopterus schreibersii, expanding their known host range beyond Rhinolophidae, and identify merbecoviruses in Rhinolophus euryale for the first time. Phylogenetic and seasonal patterns suggest that these associations reflect ecologically mediated cross-species transmission facilitated by mixed roosting, synchronized colony phenology, and spatial overlap. Our findings reveal greater permeability of coronavirus host boundaries than previously assumed and highlight multi-species bat colonies and ecological networks as key contexts for understanding and anticipating viral emergence.
Related
- A European perspective on antibiotic use in viral respiratory infections: new paradigm integrating pathogens with host factors
- A capsid hinge region in European hepatitis E virus links mutations to genotype, virion surface properties, and environmental circulation
- Multiviral RBD-decorated chimpanzee adenoviral vaccine elicits broad neutralizing immunity against diverse betacoronaviruses
- Detection and characterisation of alpha- and betacoronaviruses in rodents and bats from Germany, France, Belgium and Ireland
- Molecular and Structural Characterisation of the MERS-Coronavirus Polymerase
BibTeX
@misc{serracobo2026coronavirus,
title = {{Coronavirus circulation and cross-species transmission in European bats: a new paradigm in betacoronaviruses}},
author = {J. Serra-Cobo and A. Monastiri and C. Herrera-Ubeda and N. Llorenc-Barbara and M. I. Costafreda and A. Carcereny and M. Lopez-Roig and J. Garcia-Fernandez},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.13.758892},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758892v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Coronavirus circulation and cross-species transmission in European bats: a new paradigm in betacoronaviruses
AU - J. Serra-Cobo
AU - A. Monastiri
AU - C. Herrera-Ubeda
AU - N. Llorenc-Barbara
AU - M. I. Costafreda
AU - A. Carcereny
AU - M. Lopez-Roig
AU - J. Garcia-Fernandez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.13.758892
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758892v1
AB - Bats are major reservoir hosts of coronaviruses (CoVs), yet the ecological mechanisms governing CoV circulation and cross-species transmission remain poorly understood, particularly in Europe. Here, we investigated the diversity, host associations, and interspecific transmission dynamics of alpha- and betacoronaviruses in European bats using an integrated phylogenetic and network-based approach. We analysed 835 guano samples collected from 31 bat roosts in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands (Spain) between 2020 and 2024, encompassing 14 bat species from three families. CoV RNA was detected in 18.9% of samples, with five alphacoronavirus and two betacoronavirus subgenera identified. Virus-host networks were highly structured and non-random, with strong modularity and specialization, and a small subset of bat species occupying central connector roles. Notably, we report the first confirmed detection of sarbecoviruses in Miniopterus schreibersii, expanding their known host range beyond Rhinolophidae, and identify merbecoviruses in Rhinolophus euryale for the first time. Phylogenetic and seasonal patterns suggest that these associations reflect ecologically mediated cross-species transmission facilitated by mixed roosting, synchronized colony phenology, and spatial overlap. Our findings reveal greater permeability of coronavirus host boundaries than previously assumed and highlight multi-species bat colonies and ecological networks as key contexts for understanding and anticipating viral emergence.
ER -